Patent GB-190307968-A (GB)
Title: A Machine for Indicating Audibly and or Visibly the Weights of Persons or Objects, and Supplying other Information, such as Advertisements, "Fortunes" and the like.
Inventor: MCINTIRE CHARLES SHIELDS
Filed: 1903-04-06
Granted: 1904-05-06
Abstract: 7968. McIntire, C. S., and Sawrey, J. S. April 6. Compound-lever apparatus; indicating and registering mechanism.-A person to be weighed stands upon a platform of the apparatus and inserts a coin. His weight is then announced by gramophone or the like, followed, if the device is so arranged, by the announcement of an advertisement, a "fortune," or other information. Or the weight, advertisement, and fortune may be indicated visibly instead of audibly. When the platform is depressed, the levers connected with it cause two connected crossheads to be depressed, a dash-pot preventing jerks. From the crossheads, by means of a lever and a weighted link, a cord 33, Figs. 1 and 2, the other end 36 of which is provided with a counterweight, is pulled down, causing a shaft 25 to rotate. The shafts 25, 26 are geared together by spur and pinion gearing 29, 30. The shafts have counterpoised snails 31, 32 thereon, the former with, say, 20 steps to indicate up to 20 stones, and the latter, with, say, 14 steps to indicate up to 14 pounds, and these snails take up positions in accordance with the weight on the platform. The coin falls into a bucket 113 and depresses a lever 114, thereby causing a lever 117 to liberate any suitable electric, weight, spring, &c. motor for driving the mechanism, and also withdrawing the further end of a lever 119 from a pawl 126, which then engages with a ratchet-wheel 128. The Figures show the mechanism in the position just before the motor starts. The cam shaft 129 is rotated from a shaft 122 by the pawl 126 and ratchet-wheel 128. The rod 102 rises, under the action of a weight 101, into engagement with a snail 131 on the shaft 129, and itself raises a lever 99 which strikes pins 97, 98, thereby releasing pawls 93 and 94 from pins 95, 96. The arms 81, 82 are now free to move under the influence of the weight 83, 84, and the arms 75, 76 are forced to the left until pins 63, 139 engage with the stepped snails 31, 32, while a toothed spring brake 110 engages with the teeth of the spur-wheel 29, whereby these parts are held stationary. Three discs 40, 41, 42, Fig. 2, arranged preferably at an angle of 45‹, are continuously rotated by the bevel gearing 50, 51 from the driving-shaft 52. Upon the discs are secured record discs 43, 44, 45. A soundbox 65 having a style 70 is carried over each record by a lever 64. As the cam shaft 129 rotates, an arm 66 drops into the step of the cam 132, thereby allowing the style to fall into the desired groove on the disc 43, while a screwed portion 68 of the arm 66 engages with a rotating screw 69, thereby causing the style to move forward and the gramophone to announce words such as " You "weigh twelve stone." Further movement of the cam shaft lifts the arm 66 and the style, after which a second arm similar to 66 falls into the step of a second cam 133, and the corresponding style drops a groove in the disc 44 and the gramophone announces the odd pounds, for example and nine "pounds." The cam 133 then similarly raises this style, and a third cam 134 allows a third style to fall upon a third disc, and the gramophone announces some advertisement or "fortune." The speech is conducted by flexible tubes to a common trumpet, which may deliver opposite a soundboard in the mouth of a model bust. The snail 130 has by this time lifted the weighted arm 90 by the connection 138, when the pins 97, 98 pass over the end ot the lever 99, and the pawls 93, 94 again engage with the pins 95, 96. The roller 137 now drops into the step of the snail 130, and the weight 91 descends, causing the arms 81, 82 to withdraw the brake 110. The coin is discharged, the lever 114 rises, the arm 117 stops the motor, and the end of the rod 119 disengages the pawl 126 from the ratchet-wheel 128. Instead of three discs, only one may be used. To indicate visibly instead of audibly, pointers and a stationary dial, or a revolving dial visible through an opening, or a pointer carried by a vertical rack or cord and indicating upon a scale, may be used. A modification is shown in Fig. 7, wherein phonograph records, which may be of the Edison type, are used. Either a spring balance or a dead-weight mechanism may be used, the former being illustrated. The parts used correspond generally to those previously described. The last lever 145 from the weighing- platform is attached to a vertical spring balance 146, regulated by a dash-pot arrangement 148, and having a pin 147 upon which rests a projection 163 from a piston 161 working in a dash-pot 162 and carrying a rack 160 gearing with a toothed wheel 159 on the shaft 157 carrying the first snail 153. The second snail 154 is connected to the first in the same way as in the first arrangement. The phonograph cylinders 164, 165 have sound-boxes 166, 167, which are raised from or lowered to the cylinders by hinged tables 168, and are traversed over the cylinders by leading screws. The cylinders receive rotary motion by means of belts and pulleys from a driving-shaft 169, driven by an electric or other motor. The sound-boxes are moved to the starting position shown by book-ended links 174 engaging with studs 175, the links being connected to levers 176, which have weights 177 tending to draw them towards the left of the machine. These levers have long pawls 178 engaging with a bellcrank lever 179, the other arm of which is connected to a heavy weight 181 working in a dashpot 182. The latter raises the weights 177, and pulls the sound-boxes to the starting position The levers 176 have stop- 183 which engage with the steps of the snail. A weighted rocking lever 184 has a tail-piece 187 which can lift the pawls 178 free from the levers 179, whereby the latter are free to move to the left under the action of the weights 177. The lever 184 is prevented from falling by a rod 188 engaging with a cam 189 on the shaft 190. This shaft has two other cams 191, 192, which raise and lower the sound-boxes as required, and a further one 193 which alternately raises and releases the weight 181. The spurwheel 155 is provided with a brake 205 as in the first arrangement. The coin-actuating mechanism consists of a penny - bushet arm 210 having an arm 213 connected to a rod 214 which, before the bucket falls, supports a pawl against engagement with a ratchet-wheel on the cam shaft 190. The bucket arm, when an electric motor is used, is connected by a cord 218 to the starting-switch 217. When the bucket falls, the motor is operated, and the rod 214 is withdrawn so that the pawl drives the cam shaft 190, from which all the parts are operated. The machine is stopped by the cam 193 releasing the weight 181, which results in the parts being returned to their original position, and, by means of an arm 224, in tripping the coin bucket. As the latter rises, the switch is opened and the motor stopped. A pawl 227 prevents backward movement of the cam shaft. A spring device is employed to prevent shock to the mechanism when the load is suddenly removed. Mechanical equivalents of the snail may be used.